Statement on the Terrorist Attack in Charlottesville, Virginia

Hatred and evil are once again on full display on the American national stage. We grieve the loss of Heather Heyer, the peaceful protestor whose life was callously taken in the terrorist attack in Charlottesville days ago. Our thoughts are with those who were injured fighting to reject bigoted ideology, and with all of us watching who’ve been repeatedly traumatized by racial terror.

White supremacists, Neo-Nazis, and klansmen have yet to learn that they are standing on the wrong side of history. We applaud efforts by people of all races, religious backgrounds, political affiliations and sexual orientations to make this point even more apparent.

What happened in Charlottesville is a national disgrace, but also a symptom of a chronic disease our country has suffered far too long.

The Schott Foundation for Public Education aims to develop and strengthen a broad-based and representative movement to achieve fully resourced, quality PreK-12 public education. Schott’s core belief is that well-resourced grassroots campaigns can lead to systemic change in the disparities poor children and children of color face in our nation’s schools. In helping to build these campaigns into a movement, Schott recognizes its pivotal role as both funder and advocate to ensure that all children have an opportunity to learn.